Bedtime

[Mickey]

My mil went on about her other grandsons' bedtimes (extremely early, imo), implying that ds should be in bed earlier. He goes up to brush, floss, and get ready for bed at 9 and is usually sleeping by 9:30. He sets his clock for 6, but usually snoozes on the sofa for an hour until I get up at 7. I'm thinking that's enough sleep. He's 10, btw. What time do your kids go to bed and get up and what are their ages?

[PamE]

You'll probably think ours are ridiculously early, lol! Dd1 (15yo) goes to be at 8:30 and is asleep around 9:00, or later if she and her sister get to talking. Ds1 (almost 12), dd2 (10) and ds2 (4) go to bed at 8:00. It doesn't take long for them to fall asleep most nights. Ds2 is asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow. Ds1 is usually asleep by 8:30. I wake the older three at 6:30, sometimes earlier, depending on our day. The girls start schoolwork almost immediately. I figure if their bedtime is too early then they'd lay awake for a lot longer or wake earlier in the mornings on their own. As it is, no one wants to wake up, lol!

Dh and I are in bed by 9:00 most nights and he's up by 4:00 for work. I try to get up by 4:30 or 5, but it doesn't always happen. It's nice to have that extra time in the morning to enjoy the quiet and get some things done before the kids are awake.

[MaryL]

My dks (ages nearly 13 and 10.5) go to bed at 8:30. They usually read until 9:00. I wake them up for school at 6:00 a.m.

[RCT]

both (9 yr old and 11 yrs olds) in bed by 9:00 PM usually asleep by 9:10 PM LOL...Most days up at 7:00 AM, but two days a week they have to get up at 6:30 AM...usually both are up before the schedualed HAVE to time ;)

[kat]

Ds goes to bed between 11-12. He's 17. Sorry I just had to say that.

Dgd (18 mo.) goes to bed between 7-7:30, dgs (3 1/2) goes to bed an hour later when they are at my house. They have no bedtime at their house (ex dil says she can't get them to go to bed). I've tried to tell her that if she'd get a consistent routine like we have: TV goes off an hour before bedtime(dh doesn't appreciate that one), quite play, bath, teeth, stories, prayers = no problems getting them to go to bed. Sissy is pretty much ready for bed right after dinner and sometimes it's hard to keep her up. Ds doesn't have trouble getting them to go to bed although I think he lets dgs stay up later. Dgs is a bear when he doesn't get enough sleep. He also needs at least a 2 hour nap each day.

I remember growing up and we had an 8:00 bedtime for as long as I can remember. I know that all kids are different and some seem to require more sleep than others. As a teacher though I think most kids don't get enough sleep.

[AnnW]

With dd it's supposed to be room at 9, lights out at 9:30, but it tends to be room and lights out at 10. she gets up between 6 and 6:30. she leaves for school at 6:45.

[Melody]

It honestly varies here. I prefer 8 and lights out at 830 for ds1 but sometimes that goes a half hour later for both or more. He plays basketball until 9 on Mondays and if I got to euchre I'm home just before 10 on Wed. A lot of times he's up until 9 to 10 even being in bed early. He's up at 615 for school. Sometimes I will let him sleep in an extra 15 minutes. lol
Ds2 goes to bed around same time as ds1 but doesn't get to sleep as fast some nights. He doesn't need to be up until after 8 or 830. Ds3 goes to bed usually same time or a few minutes after the older ones and gets up whenever since he goes only in the afternoon. He's usually up an hour before I would like him to be. lol I'm always up until after 11, bed usually around 12.

[KarlaB]

We try to start brushing teeth, etc btwn 8 & 8:30, then prayers, books and lights out by 9. They are up at 7. Boys are 7 & 9.

[Mickey]

These seem like reasonable times to me! (Especially since you get up at 4:30, Pam!) Mil said that her 9 yo grandson goes to bed at 7:30. And dh said that he went to bed at 6 until he was 7 years old.

[KarlaB]

Mil said that her 9 yo grandson goes to bed at 7:30. And dh said that he went to bed at 6 until he was 7 years old.

Yikes!! My cousin does that with her kids, plus when they aren't school age she makes them take 3 hour naps (she locks them in their rooms!!) and they can't get out of bed (from naps or in the morning) until she tells them it's okay. :rolleyes:

[Diane]

Our kids were always in bed by at least 9:00 and their alarms went off at 7:00. We never had a hard time getting them to bed or waking them up. Now if we had had problems with them getting up in the mornings, I probably would have insisted upon an earlier bed time, but they always popped up right out of bed the minute their alarms went off, which told me they were getting plenty of sleep.

I don't think that all kids require the same amount of sleep. Dd #1 would always sit up and read for about a half hour to 45 minutes before she'd turn off her lights and was always fine in the mornings too. If this is the time your ds is use to going to bed and is okay with it... then obviously it works for him. I wouldn't change a thing.

Wow... I can't believe how early some of you go to bed at night. :) I'm lucky if I'm crawling into bed by 12:00 and dh doesn't come to bed until 1:00/30 some nights. (Of course, he's usually falling asleep downstairs while he's watching tv... :) ) and were up by 7:00 most mornings, except for Thursday when we have to get up by 6:00 because of dh's networking meeting. We must not require a lot of sleep. :) LOL

[Melody]

Yikes!! My cousin does that with her kids, plus when they aren't school age she makes them take 3 hour naps (she locks them in their rooms!!) and they can't get out of bed (from naps or in the morning) until she tells them it's okay. :rolleyes:

How strange (to me anyhow). I couldn't imagine locking my kids in their bedroom to make them sleep, especially when they aren't tired. Long before age 3 they are done taking daily naps here, unless you get a day where sitting on the swing long enough tires them out or a trip somewhere in the car. LOL

[Diane]

Yikes!! My cousin does that with her kids, plus when they aren't school age she makes them take 3 hour naps (she locks them in their rooms!!) and they can't get out of bed (from naps or in the morning) until she tells them it's okay. :rolleyes:

I know of a lot of day care providers who would make all kids 5 and under take at least a 2 hour nap a day. 8o Parents would complain because they couldn't get their kids to bed at night, they weren't tired. I quit making kids nap when they were 2-1/2 or earlier if they didn't seem to need one. I couldn't imagine locking my kids in a room to nap when they weren't even tired.

[Melody]

I know of a lot of day care providers who would make all kids 5 and under take at least a 2 hour nap a day. 8o Parents would complain because they couldn't get their kids to bed at night, they weren't tired. I quit making kids nap when they were 2-1/2 or earlier if they didn't seem to need one. I couldn't imagine locking my kids in a room to nap when they weren't even tired.

Don't the parents and care givers have some sort of agreement about all that before hand? I would have a canary if someone forced my kids to lay there for 2 hours.

[KarlaB]

How strange (to me anyhow). I couldn't imagine locking my kids in their bedroom to make them sleep, especially when they aren't tired. Long before age 3 they are done taking daily naps here, unless you get a day where sitting on the swing long enough tires them out or a trip somewhere in the car. LOL

I do think it is very strange, too. Mind you, she has a master's in psychology and it has almost seemed borderline abusive to me. Her kids have all sorts of behavioral troubles (according to her) and I honestly think she has brought some of them on. (They are always so well-behaved whenever I see them.)

My kids have never been forced to nap either - if they're not tired, they're not tired. :tinysmile Her kids also have to go to bed by 7 (even though they nap until 4!) and they will not make any exceptions. If we are celebrating Christmas they are packed up and out the door so bedtime isn't one minute late. :rolleyes:

[KarlaB]

Don't the parents and care givers have some sort of agreement about all that before hand? I would have a canary if someone forced my kids to lay there for 2 hours.

Me too!!!! I understand having some quiet time, but forced naps (and for 2+ hours) seem a bit much.

[Diane]

Don't the parents and care givers have some sort of agreement about all that before hand? I would have a canary if someone forced my kids to lay there for 2 hours.

That's the way a lot of day cares are around here... so when parents are interviewing, this is what is told to them by just about everyone. I'm sure they really don't feel like they have a choice. :( There are a lot of centers that have those same rules. Parents are told that there kids don't have to sleep, but they do have to at least lay down to rest. None of my dck's that age ever seemed like they needed a rest. :biglaugh: they'd go nonstop all day every day and never seemed tired to me. :) I'm the one who probably needed the rest. LOL Just always thought that was a stupid rule. My granddaughter never lay's down for a nap while I'm taking care of her, and that's been for a few years already. :)

[Melody]

I do think it is very strange, too. Mind you, she has a master's in psychology and it has almost seemed borderline abusive to me. Her kids have all sorts of behavioral troubles (according to her) and I honestly think she has brought some of them on. (They are always so well-behaved whenever I see them.)

My kids have never been forced to nap either - if they're not tired, they're not tired. :tinysmile Her kids also have to go to bed by 7 (even though they nap until 4!) and they will not make any exceptions. If we are celebrating Christmas they are packed up and out the door so bedtime isn't one minute late. :rolleyes:

Gee, sounds like a fun household. :rolleyes: Poor kids. Why don't some people want to spend time with the kids they have is beyond me. I feel for the little ones.

[SpeechMom]

That's the way a lot of day cares are around here... so when parents are interviewing, this is what is told to them by just about everyone. I'm sure they really don't feel like they have a choice. :( There are a lot of centers that have those same rules. Parents are told that there kids don't have to sleep, but they do have to at least lay down to rest. None of my dck's that age ever seemed like they needed a rest. :biglaugh: they'd go nonstop all day every day and never seemed tired to me. :) I'm the one who probably needed the rest. LOL Just always thought that was a stupid rule. My granddaughter never lay's down for a nap while I'm taking care of her, and that's been for a few years already. :)

I had the same problem when my oldest ds was in Mother's Day Out. They finally moved him to the older class during nap time. He would have had to be on drugs to sleep at the time they napped because we had practically just gotten out of bed.

[Ryleigh S.]

dd#1 and ds are in their rooms by 9:00- 9:30. Lights out by 10:00. ds is usually asleep two minutes after he his the pillow.
the girls go to bed by 8:00. 9:00 on weekends.
dd#4 and dn both go to bed between 7:00- 7:30. They usually nap about and hour and half in the afternoon, but sometimes they just don't seem tired so don't force it.

As for day-care.... form my studies and working in day care I was always taught that (in Ontario anyway) that it is manidtory that a two hour period be offeredfor children who need to nap. All children are encouraged to at least rest quietly for at least one hour... not nessesary sleep, they could lay down and look at books, cuddle a soft toy etc... after one hour if they are still awake they are to be gotten up and engaged on other activites that will not disturb the children who do need to sleep. By the time they reached the 4 and 5 year old classes very few were sleeping anymore.

[Diane]

As for day-care.... form my studies and working in day care I was always taught that (in Ontario anyway) that it is manidtory that a two hour period be offeredfor children who need to nap. All children are encouraged to at least rest quietly for at least one hour... not nessesary sleep, they could lay down and look at books, cuddle a soft toy etc... after one hour if they are still awake they are to be gotten up and engaged on other activites that will not disturb the children who do need to sleep. By the time they reached the 4 and 5 year old classes very few were sleeping anymore.


I think that's pretty much the same as it reads here, except most of the providers here keep all the kids in bed the entire two hours so they don't have to deal with the older kids making a bunch of noise and keeping the nappers awake, which I know can be frustrating. I can see both sides... but I remember as a child being made to lay down and nap when I wasn't tired. That two hours felt more like four... :rolleyes:

[Mickey]

I do think it is very strange, too. Mind you, she has a master's in psychology and it has almost seemed borderline abusive to me...
I have found that most psychologists are more messed up than their patients.

[JAK]

My dks go to bed at 9. We wake them up at 5:45, but most of the time ds is awake on his own around 5. Dh and I usually go to bed at 9 as well, 10 at the latest.

As for daycare, when I was licensed by the military it was required (as well as by the state) that all children under the age of 5 have to lay down to rest. My dc kids slept for 3 hours everyday! Then again they were younger and played hard when they were awake. I never had a parent complain that their kids wouldn't sleep at night.